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will contribute to a higher level of self esteem. Older students felt closer ties to their communities and a sense of school pride as a result of participation in their sport which contributes to an overall sense of self worth and self esteem. (Simons) The lesson for parents and educators would be to ensure that youth sporting programs are made available to all children and that coaches and objectives for the programs place an emphasis on what is most beneficial for the participants.

There has been much research on levels of self esteem and its effect on academic ACHIEVEMENT. Students with higher self esteem tend to perform better academically than those with low self esteem. (Trautwein) Causes of high and low self esteem are tremendously varied, but participation in sports has been identified as one that builds self esteem. (Simons) The logical leap that youth sport participation will enhance academic ACHIEVEMENT. In a study of over 126,000 North Carolina 9-12 graders for the 1994-95 school year, it was found "that the athletes had a higher mean grade point average (GPA), a much better mean attendance rate, a lower discipline referral percentage, a lower drop out rate, and a higher graduation rate than the non-athletes." (Whitley) This study hypothesizes that athletes achieve higher due to the following factors:
1. There may be an increased interest in school, including academics, generated through participation in sports.
2. Athletes are motivated to perform at higher academic levels in order to remain eligible.
3. Athletic success may lead to a heightened sense of self-worth that spills over into academic performance.
4. Coaches, teachers, and parents take an interest in athletes, including their classroom performance.
5. Athletic participation may lead to membership in elite peer groups and an orientation toward academic success.
6. The athlete may have the hope or expectation of participating in athletics at the collegiate level. (Whitley)
Clearly these are all valid reasons why the student athlete may acheive higher. The data in this study does not prove any of the hypotheses, it just gives hard statistical proof that athletic participation has a positive correlation with academic acheivement. While there are many theories as to why this correlation exists, it is generally believed that "participation in sport apparently adds tonot detracts fromtime, energy, and commitment to academic pursuits." (Miller) In light of this apparent fact, it would seem that

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